Cookies, cookies, cookies

Good to know cookie info and some recipes from WW 

No matter how vigilant you may be about what you eat, it is awfully hard to turn down a chocolate cookie. So there's no sense in not enjoying these wonderful treats — especially when they can fit so easily into your choices for healthy eating. Being able to bake treats with low PointsPlus™ values is just a matter of knowing a few secrets.

1. Replace half the fat of any cookie recipe with an equivalent amount of unsweetened applesauce or mashed-up, ripe banana. If you do so, always double the amount of vanilla or other spices in the recipe.
   
2. Always cream the butter or shortening for at least 2 minutes in the mixer at medium speed. More tender cookies have more air beaten into the batter. But once you add the flour, never beat the batter, only stir with a wooden spoon, just until moistened and incorporated. You don't want the glutens to get stiff.
   
3. If a recipe calls for two whole eggs, use 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites; if it calls for 3 whole eggs, use 1 whole egg and 3 egg whites.
   
4. Replace walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts with almonds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, or unsalted sunflower seeds.
   
5. If you replace buttermilk or sour cream with low-fat buttermilk or fat-free sour cream, use cake flour rather than all-purpose flour for more tender cookies.

Try these two recipes for the perfect treats anytime.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 50 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup rolled oats (do not use quick-cooking oats)
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup mashed banana (about 2 ripe bananas)
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Position rack in the center of the oven; preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Mix flour, oats, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
   
2. With an electric mixer on medium, cream the shortening and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the banana, then the egg white and vanilla. Turn off the mixer, remove the beaters, and stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon, just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.
   
3. Drop by flat tablespoons onto the baking sheet, spacing mounds about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then cool completely on a rack. Cool the baking sheet for 5 minutes before baking additional batches. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Serving size: 2 cookies. PointsPlus value per serving: 4

Big, Soft, Almost Fat-Free Chocolate Cookies
Makes about 24 cookies

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Position rack in the center of the oven; preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
   
2. Place the chocolate in a small bowl and microwave on High 15 seconds, stir, then continue microwaving in 10 second increments until halfway melted. Remove from the microwave and continue stirring until completely melted.
   
3. With an electric mixer on high, beat the egg whites in a large bowl until foamy, about 30 seconds. Beat in both sugars until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in the melted chocolate. Remove the beaters and stir in the flour, whole-wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt all at once with a wooden spoon, just until moistened.
   
4. Drop by rounded tablespoonsful onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake until puffed, cracked, and dry, about 15 minutes. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then cool completely on a rack. Cool the baking sheet for 5 minutes before baking additional batches. Store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.

Serving size: 1 cookie. PointsPlus value per serving: 2

Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough are the authors of The Ultimate Chocolate Cookie Book (HarperCollins, 2004).